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In an increasingly expensive touring market, $50 has come to seem like a reasonable amount to pay for a night of live music. And when that ticket gets you into a 575-capacity venue in New York City to see Sir Paul McCartney? Well, it just might be the deal of a lifetime.
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Midday Tuesday (Feb. 11), it was revealed that the Beatle would perform a last-minute underplay at Manhattan’s peerless Bowery Ballroom that very evening – with tickets only available at the box office. Even with the in-person purchase requirement and a one-ticket-per-person limit, the show sold out in approximately 30 minutes.
Certainly more accustomed to playing to tens of thousands in stadiums than several hundred people in a dark Manhattan club, McCartney has been at this long enough (The Beatles first played America 61 years ago) that it’s hard to imagine any crowd fazing him. At this point, the same goes for his core backing band (Wix Wickens, keyboards/musical director; Abe Laboriel Jr., drums; Rusty Anderson, guitar; Brian Ray, guitar and bass), who have been providing unflappable support since the early ‘00s. Additionally, the Hot City Horns (who first joined McCartney during his Grand Central Station pop-up in 2018) rotated in and out to provide punchy backing on “Jet,” “Got to Get You Into My Life,” “Lady Madonna” and other classics. McCartney warned the audience that his band hadn’t had much time to rehearse, but you wouldn’t have known – only during a quickie jam session on Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze” did the show sound anything short of meticulously timed, but there’s nothing wrong with flirting with a bit of chaos during that song anyway.
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Seeing Paul McCartney live remains a bit of a religious experience – tears were shed during “Let It Be,” couples were swaying during “Let Me Roll It” and inter-generational families were singing along during ripping opener “A Hard Day’s Night.” If you’ve been to a McCartney show before, you’re familiar with some of the stories he tells before each song, which he cheekily acknowledged during his mid-song banter: “Have you heard this story? Well, I’m gonna tell it anyway.”
A few of those anecdotes have a sense of newfound relevance. Prior to performing “Mrs. Vanderbilt” (which isn’t always in his setlists), McCartney talked about singing the Wings tune in Independence Square in Kyiv, Ukraine, back in 2008. With a note of sadness, McCartney recalled the concert had a sense of uplifting freedom. “Let’s hope we get back to that,” he said, tipping to Russia’s ongoing war of aggression in the Ukraine.
Prior to his Civil Rights-inspired ode “Blackbird,” McCartney talked about how the Beatles encountered legal segregation in the American south during their first tour of America. “We thought it was just stupid,” he said plainly before sharing the story of how the Beatles forced a Jacksonville, Flor., venue to integrate for their show. It’s a story that he’s told before, but at this moment in American history, we could use a reminder that it makes a difference when artists stand up to governments and courts that stoke racial divisions.
Speaking of the Beatles, McCartney gave “Now and Then” – the Grammy-winning final Fab Four song which came out in 2023 – its American debut Tuesday night, paying tribute to John Lennon after wrapping up the ballad on an upright piano. For a song that started as a Lennon demo in 1977, it’s fitting its first U.S. performance should take place in his beloved adopted home base of New York City.
Macca is in NYC to help Saturday Night Live (a slightly younger pop culture mainstay) celebrate 50 years on Sunday (Feb. 16). Whether his Bowery Ballroom show was a warm-up for a potential SNL performance or simply a chance for him to rock out at a venue where he can enforce a no-phones policy (all cells were bagged at the door) remains to be seen, but on Tuesday evening, it was certainly the best 50-buck investment anyone could make in Manhattan.
The 2025 Love Rocks NYC benefit concert will feature sets from Alicia Keys, Beck, Cher, Kate Hudson, Mavis Staples, Michael McDonald, Peter Frampton, Phish’s Trey Anastasio and many more. The ninth annual benefit for God’s Love We Deliver — an organization that cooks and delivers medically tailored meals for people too sick to shop or cook for themselves — will take place at New York’s Beacon Theatre on March 6.
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The show, executive produced by fashion designer John Varvatos, along with New York real estate broker Douglas Elliman and concert producers Greg Williamson and Nicole Rechter, will also include performances from Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, the Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart featuring Vanessa Amorosi, the Black Pumas’ Eric Burton, Grace Bowers, Jesse Malin, Struts singer Luke Spiller, The War and Treaty and more acts to be announced.
It will also have appearances by comedians Alex Edelman, Amy Schumer, Susie Essman and Tracy Morgan.
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God’s Love We Deliver was founded in 1985 as a response to the AIDS pandemic and now serves people living with more than 200 different diagnoses. The organization has served more than 40 million meals to date, with this year marking the group’s 40th anniversary.
“As we prepare for the 9th Annual LOVE ROCKS NYC concert, we’re reminded of the power of music and community to create change,” said God’s Love We Deliver CEO Terrence Meck in a statement. “This year is especially meaningful as God’s Love We Deliver celebrates having delivered more than 40 million meals since our founding in 1985. We are so proud of our work nourishing our neighbors affected by severe and chronic illness, and we are grateful to Love Rocks NYC for the visibility and funds it raises for God’s Love We Deliver.”
Since the annual show launched in 2017, it has raised $50 million and helped fund more than five million meals. This year’s show will support God’s Love as well as their Food Is Medicine Coalition peer organization Project Angel Food in Los Angeles as part of a response to January’s devastating wildfires.
Past performers at God’s Love shows have included: Keith Richards & The X-Pensive Winos, Jon Bon Jovi, Dave Matthews, Robert Plant, Norah Jones, The Black Crowes, Dave Grohl, Ziggy Marley, Cyndi Lauper, Hozier, St. Vincent, Marcus King, Nathaniel Rateliff and many more.
Pre-sale tickets for this year’s show will go on sale on Thursday (Feb. 13) at 10 a.m. ET, with a public onsale going live on Friday (Feb. 14) at 10 a.m. ET here and here.
02/12/2025
Here’s how we handicap this year’s class of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees and their respective chances of induction.
02/12/2025
Milwaukee’s Summerfest announced its jam-packed 2025 lineup on Wednesday (Feb. 12), which includes headliners Megan Thee Stallion (with Flo Milli), The Killers, Benson Boone, The Lumineers (with Hippo Campus), Def Leppard (with Tesla), Hozier (with Gigi Perez) and James Taylor (with Jason Mraz and Tiny Habits).
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The three-weekend throwdown on the banks of Lake Michigan will take place on June 19-21, June 26-28 and July 3-5 across 12 stages in its 75-acre festival park. Among the other acts slated to perform are: BossMan DLow, The Avett Brothers, Japanese Breakfast, CAKE, The Head And The Heart, Riley Green, Gary Clark Jr., Young the Giant, Babymetal, Loud Luxury, OFFSET, Jack’s Mannequin, Lindsey Stirling, Whiskey Myers, Billy Corgan and the Machines of God, Ayra Starr, Richard Marx, Porter Robinson, Dirty Heads, The Fray, Natasha Bedingfield, DEVO, Motion City Soundtrack, Betty Who, Snow Tha Product and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, among others.
“As an independent music festival, Summerfest delivers a one-of-a-kind experience, bringing fans together from all backgrounds to enjoy incredible performances and Milwaukee’s vibrant energy,” said Sarah Pancheri, President and CEO, Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. in a statement. “Today is an exciting day as we unveil this year’s lineup with over 160 artists spanning all genres of music.”
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Tickets are on sale now, with details available here. For a limited time, fans can also purchase a UScellular Power Pass for only $57, which includes admission for all nine days of the fest; the Power Pass is only available now through Feb. 18 at 11:59 p.m.
See the full 2025 Summerfest lineup poster below.
Black Crowes‘ frontman Chris Robinson acknowledges, with a laugh, that “I’ve been cynical in the past about institutions” in general — and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame specifically.
But he’s unreservedly pleased about the band’s first Rock Hall nomination.
“We’re just very excited,” Robinson, who formed the group with younger brother Rich Robinson, drummer Steve Gorman, bassist Johnny Colt and guitarist Jeff Cease in 1989 in the Robinson’s native Atlanta, tells Billboard. “I don’t think we ever really would have thought about it, so for it to be in front of us, it’s incredible. We’re thrilled.
“All sarcasm aside, it’s amazing to be thought of. It’s amazing to be included. We love music, and we understand the real magical, alchemic process in it, and that we’ve managed to still be here this many years later and still be making records and in a lot of ways having a level of recognition and success that we haven’t felt before.
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“Just to be mentioned (alongside) some of the names of the greatest artists, it’s fantastic,” he says of the band’s first nomination.
Robinson is well aware of his May 2017 remarks to SiriusXM’s Howard Stern, when he said he would not attend a Black Crowes’ induction and that “the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to me is like going to the mall or something.”
“As if an interview with Howard Stern’s a deposition,” Robinson says with another laugh. “I think like anything with age… To say what I’m saying today is sincere. This isn’t one of those situations where I’ll grudgingly, ‘Oh, if we get in, I’ll go…’ If it happens for us, then I’ll be there with bells on my feet.”
The Black Crowes flew out of the box strong, of course, starting with two multi-platinum albums — 1990’s Shake Your Money Maker and 1992’s The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion — and a rash of 16 Mainstream Rock chart hits that includes “Jealous Again,” a rendition Otis Redding’s “Hard to Handle,” “She Talks to Angels,” “Remedy” and “Thorn in My Pride.” The group has released nine studio albums, selling more than 30 million copies worldwide. Its latest, 2024’s Happiness Bastards, was nominated for a Grammy Award for best rock album, losing out to the Rolling Stones’ Hackney Diamonds. “If you’re gonna lose a Grammy, lose it to Mick (Jagger) and Keith (Richards). We were just happy to be included,” Robinson says.
The Crowes have gone through three distinct eras during the band’s career — 1984-2002 and 2005-2015, with the Robinsons regrouping in 2019. More than two dozen musicians have played in the group during that time; in addition to the original lineup, guitarist Marc Ford and the late keyboardist Eddie Harsch are part of the nomination. There has been rancor over the years; Gorman published a revealing memoir, Hard to Handle: The Life and Death of the Black Crowes, in 2019 and subsequently sued the Robinsons for unpaid royalties, in a case that was settled during 2022. Chris Robinson says any amends prior to a Rock Hall induction is a matter for “down the road,” while the current state of the band remains strong.
“I think where our career has led us since Rich and I got back together… I think it just adds to how deeply we’re interested in our career and our band,” he explains.
The Black Crowes are planning a “light” year of performing, Robinson says, and the brothers have already started to write new songs. “We probably have another 20 new songs already, sketches,” he says. “I think Happiness Bastards was kind of the ignition, a very positive step. It was like, ‘Wow, that was fun’ and ‘Wow, now we have some new ideas. I think getting in the studio this spring is something that we feel we want to do. It’s very exciting.”
Robinson, a Los Angeles resident for more than two decades, is also still glowing about the FireAid benefit concert on Jan. 30 at the Kia Forum, where the Black Crowes performed “Remedy” and backed John and Shane Fogerty on Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” before the Robinsons teamed with Slash for a rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “Going to California.”
“It was a super, super special event,” Robinson recalls. “Los Angeles gets this rap for being so shallow and vapid and stuff… but it just goes to show the real heart and soul of a place like Los Angeles. That’s what happens when you’re in a show business industry town. That’s where this town is pointed towards. So it was just spectacular.
“And to do it with Slash, who’s a friend but he’s synonymous with the Los Angeles music scene… I thought it was a really nice moment. And Jimmy (Page) saw it and he thought it was great. So, win-in.”
The Class of 2025 will be revealed in late April. That announcement typically details which artists are inducted as performers, which names are entering the Rock Hall in the musical influence or musical excellence categories and who the year’s Ahmet Ertegun award recipient will be. The 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place in Los Angeles this fall.
After decades of eligibility, Bad Company’s future in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame seemed to be, as the song says, a “Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy.”
Now the English supergroup finds itself nominated for the Rock Hall’s class of 2025, one of eight first-timers on the shortlist of 14.
“Bad Company fans and friends have been lobbying for this nomination persistently for years and they never gave up, so big thanks to them,” frontman Paul Rodgers tells Billboard. “According to them, Bad Company fits all of the criteria and then some to be inducted.” Drummer Simon Kirke, however, is more inclined to also note that it’s about time.
“I think it’s been a long time coming,” he says from his current home in New York City. “It has rankled me a bit. We’ve been around a long time and we’ve influenced a lot of bands, and I think it’s a place that we deserve. I’m just pleased that we’re at least on the ballot. I’m happy and I’m honored, and fingers crossed that we make it.”
Formed during 1973 in London, Bad Company brought together Rodgers and Kirke from Free, guitarist Mick Ralphs from Mott the Hoople and bassist Boz Burrell, fresh out of King Crimson. The group was managed by the legendary Peter Grant and signed to Led Zeppelin’s Swan Song label. Its self-titled 1974 debut hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200, going five-times platinum and launching enduring rock radio hits such as “Can’t Get Enough” (No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100), “Movin’ On” (No. 19) and the song “Bad Company.”
Four of the band’s other 11 studio albums went platinum or better, as did the 1985 compilation 10 From 6. All told Bad Company sold more than 40 million records worldwide, with a cadre of other top 40 Hot 100 hits such as “Feel Like Makin’ Love,” “Young Blood,” “Shooting Star” and “Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy.”
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“Leaving behind those three bands that had become a bit of a millstone around our necks, there was certainly an element of hope and a fresh start,” Kirke recalls. “We just basically wanted a fresh start from our old bands, so it was like a phoenix rising from the ashes. I remember when Paul started singing these songs that Mick had written, ‘Can’t Get Enough’ and ‘Ready For Love’…it was really exciting. We just hoped that it was something that would be around for awhile, and here we are 50 years later.”
Rodgers, who splits time between British Columbia and Palm Springs, Calif., says he and Ralphs actually had different visions at the outset of Bad Company. “(Ralphs) recently told me that he thought that we would form a duo like the Everly Brothers. This was a surprise to me,” he says. “For myself after Free imploded…I was determined that my next band would have the best management and we did. Peter Grant was the most powerful, creative manager at the time and he was a large, large part of Bad Company’s success. It is particularly obvious to me now as we celebrate our 50th anniversary, and I look around and hear so many talented musicians who are not getting the break they need to reach the masses. I hope they find their Peter Grant.”
The original Bad Company foursome came to a stop in 1982. Ralphs and Kirke resumed from 1986-99 with a succession of other musicians — and had some success with the platinum Holy Water album in 1990 and singles such as the title track, “How About That,” “If You Needed Somebody” and “No Smoke Without Fire.” The original foursome reunited during 1989-99, playing live and releasing four new songs on The ‘Original’ Bad Co. Anthology. Burrell passed away in 1999 from a heart attack at 60, and Rodgers and Kirke reformed Bad Company two years later, with Ralphs coming back on board from 2008-2016, when a stroke rendered him unable to continue touring. (Rich Robinson of the Black Crowes, also nominated for the Rock Hall this year, was an additional guitarist during 2016).
Bad Company last toured during 2019, and Kirke confirms that “I think it’s safe to say (the band’s) playing days are pretty much over.”
He and Rodgers are still active, however. Though Rodgers is also battling health issues — he’s suffered several strokes since 2016 and 2019 — he released the solo album Midnight Rose during 2023 and is continuing to write new material. Kirke, meanwhile, has written a stage musical about addiction that’s currently being shopped and is planning to record his fourth solo album during the spring.
Both men, and likely Ralphs, will be watching the Rock Hall voting period play out, too — if not with bated breath, then certainly with interest. “My hope,” Rodgers says, “is if we are going to be inducted, let it be while Mick is still here. I do hope that the induction happens while Mick can experience, it too.”
The 2025 nominees for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame were revealed early Wednesday (Feb. 12) morning. Of the 14 nominees who appear on this year’s ballot, only some of them (likely about half) will be inducted into the institution later this year as the Rock Hall’s Class of 2025. Explore Explore See latest […]
Just days after addressing critics who expect lengthy shows from artists, a charitable Jack White is giving back to his fans with a new live EP and an affordable ticket deal for students.
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Taking to social media on Monday (Feb. 10), White revealed that students will be able to purchase $20 tickets at all upcoming dates on his ongoing No Name Tour.
“A limited number of student tickets will be available to purchase in-person only at each venue’s box office on show day,” White explained. “These tickets will be sold on a first come, first served basis with a valid student ID (1 ticket per student ID).” More information about this ticketing approach is available on the website for each venue on the tour.
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White, who is himself a noted critic of high ticket prices, is following in the footsteps of other bands who have taken a similar approach to capping the cost of tickets in the past. While DIY post-hardcore outfit Fugazi were famous for their $5 entry fee, recent years have seen the likes of The Cure attempting to make their gigs affordable too.
In 2024, frontman Robert Smith claimed ticket sellers were “driven by greed”, and capped the price of some tickets to just $20. In some cases, however, the fees were more expensive than the tickets themselves.
Alongside White’s recent generosity, the veteran musician also unveiled his No Name Live EP on Wednesday (Feb. 12). The five-song release includes a handful of live recordings of cuts from his 2024 record No Name, including “That’s How I’m Feeling”, “Archbishop Harold Holmes”, “Morning at Midnight”, and “Rough on Rats (If You’re Asking).”
These recordings were taken from U.S. performances in Denver, Atlanta, New Haven, and Dallas, respectively, with an additional appearance of “Old Scratch Blues” recorded during his trip down to Hobart in Australia.
Almost 20 years on from the release of their major label debut, Death Cab for Cutie have announced a handful of shows to celebrate their Plans album.
The Washington outfit will perform four shows in August which will see them playing Plans in full. They’ll launch with a show in Seattle on Aug. 2, before heading to Chicago on Aug. 5. Death Cab for Cutie wrap up the anniversary run with two dates in New York City on Aug. 8 and 10, with an additional appearance supporting My Chemical Romance in New Jersey nestled in between those last two.
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“Plans is an album that changed the trajectory of Death Cab for Cutie forever—it was our major label debut, it went platinum, and earned us our first Grammy nominations,” the band’s frontman Ben Gibbard said in a statement. “We are only playing a few shows in its honor as we’re currently working on our next studio album, but we would be remiss to not take the opportunity to celebrate the 20th anniversary in some fashion.”
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Plans was Death Cab for Cutie’s fifth album, and followed on from 2003’s Transatlanticism, which gave them their first appearance on the Billboard 200, hitting No. 97. Plans increased their career-best, reaching No. 4, and saw the group receive a nomination for Best Alternative Music Album at the 2006 Grammys.
The following year, their tour DVD Directions was nominated for Best Long Form Music Video, while third single “I Will Follow You into the Dark” was nominated for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. The record also gave the band their highest peak on the Hot 100, with lead single “Soul Meets Body” charting at No. 60.
Death Cab for Cutie releases their latest album, Asphalt Meadows, in 2022, before launching a lengthy run of dates the following year in honor of Transatlanticism’s 20th anniversary. These shows also featured Gibbard’s other band, The Postal Service, celebrating the 20th anniversary of their sole studio album, Give Up.
Death Cab for Cutie Plans Anniversary Shows
August 2 – Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WAAugust 5 – Chicago Theatre, Chicago, ILAugust 8 – Brooklyn Paramount, Brooklyn, NYAugust 10 – Brooklyn Paramount, Brooklyn, NY
Veteran industrial outfit Ministry are looking to rewrite their own history with their next album.
March 28 will see the band issue their new album, The Squirrely Years Revisited. As the title indicates, it sees Ministry revisiting their earlier, somewhat despised ‘80s material. “Since I hated my early stuff for decades, I decided to take ownership of it and do it right,” singer and founding member Al Jourgensen said in a statement.
Ministry first formed in Chicago, IL back in 1981, albeit with a far different sound to what contemporary fans would be familiar with. At the time, the group featured a decidedly synth-pop sound, and following shows alongside Depeche Mode, Culture Club, and A Flock of Seagulls, they issued their debut album With Sympathy in 1983.
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The material on that record largely disappeared from setlists by the end of 1984, and in 1986, the band released their sophomore record Twitch. Harnessing a sonic shift for the band, it was still influenced by synth-heavy bands of the era, but featured a darker, more industrial lean to it.
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Though Jourgensen claimed that record label influence had pressured him to not only venture into this synth-pop style, but also adopt an English accent for With Sympathy, Jourgensen’s future Pailhead bandmate Ian MacKaye later claimed that the Ministry founder only discovered heavier music after the band’s first two records.
Regardless of the timeline, Ministry leaned into this far heavier sound for their third album, 1988’s The Land of Rape and Honey, and by the ’90s, the group had become an influential presence on the industrial scene, with 1996’s Filth Pig peaking at No. 19 on the Billboard 200.
Ministry previously broke up in 2008 following their C-U-LaTour farewell jaunt, but would later reform in 2011. In recent years, Jourgensen has spoken of an impending split, with Ministry signing a deal in 2024 for the band’s final album.
However, The Squirrely Years Revisited will not be that final release from the group, with a statement from the band noting that it “comes ahead of the final new studio album from Ministry in 2026, a record that has Jourgensen teaming up with Paul Barker once again”.
The Squirrely Years Revisited will largely consist of material originally featured on With Sympathy, along with re-recordings of 1985 single “(Every Day Is) Halloween”, and rarities such as “Same Old Madness” and “I’ll Do Anything For You”. Their Twitch album will also be revisited, but only for three tracks exclusive to the CD edition.
Ministry will also embark on a North American tour in April, performing alongside Die Krupps, Nitzer Ebb, and My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult.
